'It's overwhelming': Victims of B.C.'s atmospheric river mourned

Ken Duncan was familiar with the extremes of B.C. weather.

Born and raised in the Alberni Valley, a region surrounding the Alberni Inlet on Vancouver Island, the 52-year-old was a "west coaster through and through," his family says in an online obituary.

He "did not take unnecessary risks," said cousin Tyler Thompson in an interview with CBC News. He was familiar with the dangers of heavy rain and "turned around more than once" when faced with adverse weather conditions on the road.

But on Oct. 19, as an atmospheric river weather system brought torrential rain to much of southern B.C., Duncan and his vehicle were swept into the Sarita River, where he died.

He was one of at least three victims of extreme weather that battered the province over the weekend, with an atmospheric weather system bringing more than 250 millimetres of rain between Friday and Saturday, setting several records and devastating affected communities.

A second motorist — Bob Baden — was also swept into the Sarita River along the same stretch of road.

Also dead, school teacher Sonya McIntyre of Coquitlam, east of Vancouver, who was killed when her house was swept away by a mudslide brought on by the weekend's storm.

Meanwhile, family is searching for Robert Belding, 59, who is believed to have fallen into the surging Coquitlam River trying to rescue a dog the following day. 

"We're pretty distraught," said Belding's daughter, Jessica, in an interview on her cellphone while she was out searching for her dad on Wednesday. "I think some of us are pretty numb because it just doesn't seem real. It's getting harder by the day."

Sade Leschuk, who McIntyre taught in elementary school, said she was shocked to learn her favourite teacher had been killed as rain swept through the community.

"She was the only teacher I'd ever accidentally called mom," she said. "We all just adored her … She was an amazing teacher to all of us and had a lasting impact on all of our students."

But the impact of the weekend's weather is perhaps being most profoundly felt in Bamfield, a community of about 200 people in the midst of Pacific Rim National Park Reserve and Huuy-ay-aht Nations land, surrounded by dense coastal forests and strong connections to the water.

Both Duncan and Baden were described as important contributors to the community, which is about 200 kilometres by road northwest of Victoria. As news of their deaths was shared, businesses closed to mourn.

"They're very tight-knit communities, very small populations in a remote area, and people living there learn to depend on each other," said Bob Beckett, a regional district director who knew both of the deceased.